


Little Problems

by Ametistina



Category: Law & Order
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-01
Updated: 2008-04-01
Packaged: 2017-10-13 13:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/137990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ametistina/pseuds/Ametistina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From across the park, Ed pauses to study his new partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Problems

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://community.livejournal.com/thursday100plus/profile)[**thursday100plus**](http://community.livejournal.com/thursday100plus/), Little problems challenge. Concept and beta by the stylish and elegant [](http://arlan-bishop.livejournal.com/profile)[**arlan_bishop**](http://arlan-bishop.livejournal.com/), who accepted no compensation for the work.

From across the park, Ed pauses to study his new partner. Lupo is rather busy at the moment, and Ed is practically hidden in the shade of the oak tree he’s leaning against. So he can take his time.

Lupo’s tie is askew. Actually, “askew” is an understatement—Ed can see how crooked it is from thirty feet away. It’s practically horizontal. Sometimes he marvels at how unkempt Lupo manages to look all the time. He’s not dirty or stinky—he smells surprisingly good, Ed’s noticed—but he reminds him of that character from Peanuts, the kid who travels in his own dust storm. Pigpen?

As Lupo moves through the dappled sunlight, more flaws are highlighted. He’s taken off his jacket, revealing a shirt that’s coming untucked. And is he getting thicker through the middle? Hard to say under such a wrinkled shirt, but Ed wouldn’t be surprised. Lupo eats crap all the time—not just when the job forces him—and he usually forgets the wrappers, leaving them scattered around the car.

Plus Lupes makes him drive all the time.

His gaze drifts back up. Lupo’s dark hair looks like it’s never seen a comb, and today was one of the days he chose not to shave. Ed will never understand that—does he only shave when he can find a razor? It’s the exact opposite of Ed’s careful grooming, his close-cropped hair and perfectly symmetrical beard.

His breath catches, though, when he remembers how that beard felt last night, its rough scrape contrasting with the softness of Lupo’s lips as he’d backed Ed against the wall. He’d reached under his freshly laundered shirt with large, warm hands, doubtlessly undoing its recent ironing. By that point, Ed had been too distracted to care about wrinkles.

Shaking his head in amusement, Ed realizes that he recognizes this pattern. He always does this when he gets involved with someone: he starts looking for any little problem that might make him less eager, less enthusiastic. It must be some form of sabotage, he figures, or maybe self-protection. Better to be wary now than blindsided and heartbroken later, right?

At present, Lupo has a lot of _other_ little problems to deal with. Maybe kindergarteners aren’t fully self-indivuated yet, because Lupo’s attempts to question one have resulted in twenty kids swarming him, jumping and yelling excitedly. One little girl is trying to climb him like a tree. Chuckling softly, Ed pushes off the oak and heads over to help.


End file.
